India’s G-20 opportunity for an African Renaissance 

Why in the News?

South Africa is raising its demands on multilateral fora such as BRICS, G-20 and the UNGA in recent times, acting as an atypical representative of the Black continent with 54 countries- over a quarter of population of the “Global South”.

Challenges and disruptors of the African continent:

1. 1. Existential crisis in Africa in general and the Sahel region in particular due to issues of
      • Misgovernance
      • Unplanned development
      • Dominance of ruling tribes and corruption.
   2. Strain in the traditional socio-political fabric of the nations due to new disruptors like,
      • Islamic terror
      • Inter-tribal scrimmage
      • Changing climate
      • Runaway food inflation
      • Urbanisation
      • Youth unemployment
   3. Military interventions by other countries to curb militancy in the region has turned out to be counter-productive:
      • Keeping dictatorships in power to protect their economic interests, such as uranium in Niger, gold in the Central African Republic and oil in Libya.
      • Undermining the rights of individuals.
      • Resource-wastage in curbing civil wars leading to food insecurity.
   4. The African political elite are increasing showing less interest for de-legitimisation and containment of coup in African countries.
      • For instance, when the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) recently threatened to act militarily against Niger’s junta, two member-States, Mali and Burkina Faso- both run by military governments opposed the idea.
      • Similarly, the warring generals of Sudan have defied calls for a ceasefire.
   5. Eroding international support
      • Africa’s slowing economy and trade has reduced China, Africa’s largest trading partner and investor to have reduced appetite for Africa’s commodities.
      • Russia which hosted an African summit in July witnessed only a tepid participation.
      • Europe’s main concern is limited only to stopping illegal migration from African shores.
      • France, the UK and other colonial powers as well as the US have continued to exploit mineral wealth in Africa, but their economic downturn has limited their outreach. 

India’s Robust ties:

1. India-Africa trade reached $98 billion in 2022-23 in spite of less oil imports and fewer agricultural products exports.
2. India is the fifth largest investor in Africa with robust investments and other socio-economic engagements in sectors such as education, health care, telecom, IT, appropriate technology and agriculture.
3. India has extended over $12.37 billion in concessional loans, completed 197 projects and has provided 42,000 scholarships since 2015.
4. Nearly 3 million people of Indian origin live in Africa, forming Africa’s largest non-native ethnicity.
5. With India acting as the host of G20 Summit, it can leverage the opportunity to,
   1. Resolve the stalemated security and socio-economic situations in several parts of Africa.
   2. Combine peacekeeping with socio-political institution building to deliver political stability and economic development in the region.
   3. Targeted investments in the region that has potential of a force multiplier.
   4. Transfer relevant and appropriate Indian innovations to the African land, such as the
      1. JAM trinity (Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile)
      2. DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer)
      3. UPI (Unified Payments Interface)
      4. Aspirational Districts Programme.

By offering a more participative and less exploitative alternative, India’s G20 presence offers an exemplary win-win paradigm for India-Africa ecosystem in the 21st century.